This invention generally relates to prints processed by image processing apparatus and more particularly relates to a print having attached audio data storage and method of providing same.
It can be appreciated that for a monochrome or color print, such as a photograph, the viewer""s experience of and appreciation of the print is enhanced when recorded sound is associated with the print and can be played-back as the print is viewed. A recorded sound associated with a photograph in an album, for example, can be a recorded voice message, or a short segment of recorded music, or even background sound recorded when the photograph was taken.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,190 to McClanahan and U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,092 to Cummings disclose a xe2x80x9ctalking bookxe2x80x9d, wherein recorded sound associated with a page or picture can be played-back when a button is pushed.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,519 to Manico, et al. discloses a bound xe2x80x9ctalking photo albumxe2x80x9d that allows recorded sound associated with an individual photograph to be played back when a photograph is placed in a viewer or scanned using an optical wand.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,029 to Kelley discloses a camera adapted to record sound onto a magnetic strip that is integrally attached to a photograph. A photograph produced by the device is inserted into a reader (which may be part of the camera body itself) for playing back the sound.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,854 to Stemme et al. discloses a camera for recording sound data on a magnetic strip that is attached to an instant camera print.
With respect to the Kelly and Stemme et al. devices, a magnetic strip, preferably attached to the photograph, is the primary means for recording audio associated with a photograph. However, disadvantages of this arrangement include the limited expected lifespan of magnetic recording media, difficulty of reproducing and reprinting photographs so configured, and possibility of erasure of the recorded audio by stray magnetic fields. Moreover, magnetic film is susceptible to damage in handling, and scratches or dirt on the magnetic material can render the medium unreadable. In addition, storage capability of a magnetic strip is severely limited, constraining the recorded message to within a few seconds duration at best. Further, magnetic media is typically passed through a reader device in order to swipe the media within a precise distance of a read head. This raises the need to provide precise manufacturing tolerances for the reader device, which in turn increases manufacturing costs.
Another method for audio storage with a photographic print includes encoding the audio signal digitally and providing the encoded signal in optically readable form. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,280 to Clark discloses use of optical encoding to store an audio signal on a transparent film, such as is used for motion pictures.
Employing a similar concept for opaque photographic prints, U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,663 to Norris discloses optical encoding for an opaque print, in which a camera is adapted to record sound onto the photographic film itself using optical encoding.
Disadvantages of the Clark and Norris devices include the requirement to print encoded audio information as part of the imageable area of the film, reducing the overall usable area for the image. Further, in order to obtain the encoded data, the imaged area containing the encoding must be precisely scanned by an optical reader, thereby leading to relatively complex reader components. Yet another disadvantage is that optical encoding does not provide a useful method for subsequent erasure and re-recording of an audio segment.
On the other hand, storage of audio data on an integrated circuit (IC) memory has advantages over magnetic storage and optical storage. Use of an integrated circuit memory that contains a digitally encoded audio signal and that is attached to a photographic print is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,752 to Patton et al.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,029 to Kelley discloses use of an attached IC memory chip as an alternative audio storage method, where the chip stores the audio data for access from an external magnetic read head. The IC chip disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,029 receives its source power from the external read head by means of induction coils connected to the chip. The coils allow chip circuitry to obtain sufficient current (from the magnetic field exerted by the read head) to power memory and logic support circuitry internal to the chip. It is important to note that this arrangement presents a number of limitations. Among these are the following:
(a) A magnetic read head must be passed within very close proximity to the IC memory chip (within a fraction of an inch of the chip), and with the proper orientation relative to the chip, in order to provide power to and to communicate with the chip. This is due to the nature of electromagnetic induction, since a xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d magnetic circuit is required for transformer action. Thus, while this method provides xe2x80x9ccontactlessxe2x80x9d communication, it is required that a viewer pass a read head within close proximity to the chip.
(b) A ferromagnetic shield would be needed to confine interaction between a read head device and one IC chip at a time. Otherwise, where a grouping contains multiple prints having corresponding IC chips, a read head could inadvertently activate more than one IC memory chip. In a photo album, for example, this would require the cumbersome solution of using a backing sheet of ferromagnetic material placed behind a print for which an audio signal is to be obtained.
All of the aforementioned solutions for storing and retrieving audio data associated with a print present disadvantages when usability and cost are considered. Solutions using magnetic strips require either handling of the print, passing the print through a reader, or passing a read head in close proximity to the magnetic strip surface. Similarly, solutions using optical encoding require a print, in proper orientation, to be scanned using a wand or other reading device. Other solutions that would require connection to an IC on the print itself present additional problems. In this regard, connectors add cost and present potential reliability problems from dust and dirt and wear problems due to repeated connection/disconnection duty cycles.
For contactless communication, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tags having an integrally attached memory are commercially available. Currently, RF ID tags are used in applications when it is useful to store unique identifying information associated with an item in a manner such that the information is attached to the item. For example, RF ID tags have been proposed for use in applications with passports and credit cards, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,222 to Moskowitz et al.
A commercially available RFID tag is the xe2x80x9cTAG-IT(trademark) INLAYxe2x80x9d, manufactured by Texas Instruments, Incorporated, located in Dallas, Tex., USA, can be used to provide information related to a device to which it is attached. This thin, flexible type of RF ID tag can be used, for example, in an application that previously employed a label or bar code. The applications noted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,222 and the xe2x80x9cTAG-IT(trademark) INLAYxe2x80x9d are primarily for identification purposes, such as for employee badges, for inventory control, or for credit card account identification. However, these devices are not used for storing audio or audio-related information.
Thus, it is seen that while there are advantages to storing, as part of a photographic print, audio data associated with that print, there are no satisfactory solutions that allow storage of such audio data in a durable, reproducible, and re-recordable form. In addition, the prior art apparently does not disclose devices or methods that allow contactless read/write access which can be initiated from a variable position relative to a print and over a variable distance from a print, for the purpose of storage and retrieval of audio associated with an image on the print.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a print having audio data attached thereto, wherein the audio data can be recorded onto the print or played back upon initiation by an observer.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a print substrate has an attached non-volatile semiconductor memory component that is integrally connected to a transponder. The memory component may be, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). Stored in the memory component are encoded data for a digitally encoded, recorded audio segment. A transceiver generates a first electromagnetic frequency that provides source power for the transponder. When it receives the first electromagnetic frequency, the transponder generates a second electromagnetic frequency in response to the first electromagnetic frequency. The second electromagnetic frequency is conditioned by the stored recorded audio segment stored in the memory.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a print substrate has an attached non-volatile semiconductor memory component, integrally connected to a transponder, which stores a digital address that indicates where a recorded audio segment for a specific print is located. When it receives the first electromagnetic frequency, the transponder generates a second electromagnetic frequency in response to the first electromagnetic frequency. The second electromagnetic frequency is conditioned by the stored recorded address for an audio signal stored on a device.
A feature of the present invention is the ability of a transceiver to act as a xe2x80x9cwriterxe2x80x9d that stores, on a memory that is attached to the print substrate, recorded audio or information on the storage location of recorded audio.
Another feature of the present invention is the ability of the transceiver to act also as a xe2x80x9creaderxe2x80x9d that retrieves stored audio information from the memory.
An advantage of the present invention that it allows an audio signal that is uniquely associated with a print to be integrally attached to the print for automated play-back.
Another advantage of the present invention that it provides a contactless communication interface, accessing recorded audio or related data without requiring that electrical contact be made to corresponding contacts mounted on a print.
A further advantage of the present invention that it allows a print having attached recorded audio to be easily reproduced, because audio data is stored in digitized form.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there are shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.